I may have a bead on a 454 4x4 that has been babied and ridden very little. What are the pros and con of this machine, anything to watch-out for as far as trouble spots? Thanks for your help!

 

Fairly tough, steers like a tank. Rides pretty good. Power is real good, speed and acceleration aren't anything to brag about. Rear driveshaft bearing will indeed go out over time due to poor seal.

My uncle has one. I've fixed a lot of stuff on it over the years, but it was abused a little. Rode in mud and left to sit a lot without being washed. Fried bearings and stuff. Its a tough framed quad, but like I said, the steering is the worst part about it. Unless its a great deal, there are better options.

 

TKTMSA,
I have a 96 454 Bearcat and it has been a tough machine. Although, the comment of it being hard to steer is correct; Mine steers like a tank. The carburation on the early ones was poorly set up and I had to play with mine to get it to run right.3900 miles and it has had 2 front wheel bearings installed, and new brake pads a couple of times. Most of my riding is in the foothills of Western Alberta, some mud, lots of hills, and rocky terrain. The foot brake is usless, hand brake is good. Riding two up with the wife on the back has presented no problems, the front end stays planted quite well. The comment of it having a tough frame is correct. A little over a year ago I had my trailer come loose on the highway at highway speed; the trailer did a summersault then landed right side up and then rolled sideways and ended upside down on top of the quad. I straightened the handle bars and the racks and still have the quad, there appears to be nothing else damaged. The trailer by the way was scrapped and I am using a differant one.

Ken.

 

I have a 97 454 Bear Cat and it has been excellent. The carb problems just take a little time to get the adjustments correct and the steering gets better if you set the toe adjustment as close to 0 as possible. I have mine toed out a 1/16 inch (1/32 each side) and it helped a lot. This also takes some time to get correct, but a laser level helps.